HYROX RACE ANALYSIS
How to pace a Hyrox race
Pick one run pace you can hold for all eight kilometers and start Run 1 at that pace. Work each station at an effort that lets you run the next kilometer at your target pace. After the race, divide your Run 8 time by your Run 1 time to see how much you slowed down.
Eight rounds, one pace to repeat
A Hyrox race is eight rounds of a 1 km run followed by one workout station. A station is a fixed exercise such as rowing or wall balls. Run 1 is the one run that starts with fresh legs. The other seven are compromised running, which means running on legs tired from the station before.
The table shows what you did before each run and the station that follows it. The wall balls are the last station.
| Run | What you did before | Station that follows |
|---|---|---|
| Run 1 | Nothing, you start fresh | SkiErg, 1,000 m |
| Run 2 | SkiErg, 1,000 m | Sled push, 50 m |
| Run 3 | Sled push, 50 m | Sled pull, 50 m |
| Run 4 | Sled pull, 50 m | Burpee broad jumps, 80 m |
| Run 5 | Burpee broad jumps, 80 m | Rowing, 1,000 m |
| Run 6 | Rowing, 1,000 m | Farmers carry, 200 m |
| Run 7 | Farmers carry, 200 m | Sandbag lunges, 100 m |
| Run 8 | Sandbag lunges, 100 m | Wall balls, 100 reps |
Choose the pace you can repeat
Set your target run pace from a session where you run 1 km eight times with a short walk between and check whether the eighth matches the first. If the last kilometers fall apart, your target pace was too fast for eight repeats. Set your race goal from the pace that holds.
This session is in Complete’s training library. You can run it yourself and log it in the app.
| Block | What you do |
|---|---|
| Warm-up | World’s Greatest Stretch: 4 reps each side. Open the hips and ankles. A-Skip: 20 m. Prime the legs for race-pace running. Run: 10 min, effort 3/10. Easy build with 2–3 strides at the end. |
| Main, 8 rounds | Run: 1000 m, effort 7/10. Target your race-run pace, not your fresh 1k pace. Walk ~100m between reps, that’s the roxzone. The test is rep eight matching rep one. Rest 1 min between rounds. |
| Cool-down | Run: 5 min, effort 2/10. Easy jog until the heart rate settles. |
Start Run 1 at your target pace
Run 1 is the only run you start with fresh legs, so it is the easiest one to run too fast. Start it at the pace you plan to hold on Run 8.
After the race, divide your Run 8 time by your Run 1 time. A result of 1.00 means the two runs took the same time. A higher number means you slowed down. The table shows two invented athletes with the same total running time of 44:40. The numbers are not averages, and they say nothing about what a typical athlete does.
| Run | Athlete A | Athlete B |
|---|---|---|
| Run 1 | 4:55 | 5:35 |
| Run 2 | 5:10 | 5:35 |
| Run 3 | 5:25 | 5:35 |
| Run 4 | 5:35 | 5:35 |
| Run 5 | 5:45 | 5:35 |
| Run 6 | 5:50 | 5:35 |
| Run 7 | 6:00 | 5:35 |
| Run 8 | 6:00 | 5:35 |
| All eight runs | 44:40 | 44:40 |
| Run 8 divided by Run 1 | 1.22 | 1.00 |
Read the ratio
The totals match and the shapes differ. Athlete A ran the first kilometer 40 seconds faster than athlete B and the last kilometer 25 seconds slower. A fast Run 1 followed by a long slowdown is the pattern the ratio shows.
When Run 1 is far faster than the rest, it skews the ratio. Compare Run 8 with your middle runs, Runs 2 to 7, instead. Athlete A’s Runs 2 to 7 average 5:37.5, so Run 8 at 6:00 is 1.07 times the middle of the race.
Pace the stations for the run that follows
Judge each station by the run after it. If you cannot hold your target pace for the first 100 m of that run, the station took too much from your legs.
The sled push and the sled pull load your legs most, so Runs 3 and 4 test this first. The first 100 m will feel heavy. If your pace drops there, push the sleds a little slower next time.
Decide in training how you will break up the wall balls, so you make no decision on tired legs at the last station.
The Roxzone is part of your pace
The Roxzone is the zone you pass through between the run course and a station. The rulebook lists it as its own part of the course, next to the run course and the stations, and your official result shows a Roxzone time. Move through it at a steady, controlled pace, and record the number after each race to see whether it changes.
What Complete shows after a race
Complete analyzes your own result. Paste your results.hyrox.com link, upload a screenshot or type your times in. From a link it reads your eight run splits, your station splits and your Roxzone time.
On a Hyrox plan, after you import a full singles race, you tap the estimated Hyrox time on the Progress screen to open a run breakdown. It shows your eight run splits and a fade figure, your last run divided by your first. When your first run is a fast outlier, Complete compares your last run with your middle runs instead.
Frequently asked questions
How fast should I run the first kilometer of a Hyrox?
Run it at the pace you plan to hold on Run 8. Run 1 is the only run with fresh legs, so it is the easiest one to run too fast.
What is compromised running?
It is running on legs tired from the station before. Seven of the eight Hyrox runs follow a station.
How do I measure how much I slowed down?
Divide your Run 8 time by your Run 1 time. A result of 1.00 means the two took the same time, and a higher number means you slowed down.
How do I set my target run pace?
Run eight 1 km repeats with a short walk between and check whether the eighth matches the first. The session on this page does that.
Does Complete show how my pace faded?
On a Hyrox plan, the run breakdown on the Progress screen shows your eight run splits and a fade figure, your last run divided by your first, once you import a full singles race.